Collaborative Insight November 2017 - ISSUE 43

Collaboration in Aerospace

RAF Museum, Hendon
12 October 2017

What better venue could you find for an event focused on Aerospace but the RAF Museum at Hendon? And this was reflected in the number of attendees with 100 members and guests enjoying a range of informative and enjoyable presentations. Not to mention the opportunity to visit the museum after the networking lunch.

Les Pyle, ICW Chief Executive

David Derrick, UK & Ireland Area Operations Manager LRQA

David Hawkins, Director of Operations, ICW

Our Chairman Lord Evans opened the day with thanks to LRQA who sponsored the event and to welcome both presenters and guests from across the global with his usual brevity and poignant introduction. Aerospace being a major contributor to the UK economy and a significant consideration as changes in Europe begins to emerge.

Our CEO Les Pyle chaired the event introducing the presenters and providing background on ICW current activities and future developments.

David Derrick opened the presentations representing our sponsor for the day LRQA. As new member of the ICW Executive Network he took the opportunity to both introduce LRQA but also provided a focus on the Lloyds Register Foundation and the work it does as a charitable foundation that helps to protect life, property and support education through engineering related research, investing over £44million in research grants.

Having recently returned from the Aerotech Congress in Fort Worth Texas, David Hawkins provided and update on some of the key outcomes of the congress. These included the significant growth forecasts for the commercial aerospace industry over the next 20 years, Autonomous flying taxis, supersonic aircraft and the next evolution in space developments.

Stewart Miller highlighted the background to Leonardo and its wide reaching portfolio. His presentation provided background to the partnership it had developed with BAE Systems for the UK Tornado JAS programme and how this was being used as a potential export model. He also provided a case study on the challenging and complex Mode 5 IFF under the title of SkyTale. In both cases demonstrating how collaborative working had delivered successes and benefits.

Kelvin Marner, Head of Business Improvement - Boeing Defence UK

We were particularly pleased that Kim Ashmun was able to fly over from Fort Worth to be with us and provide some insight into the challenges of developing and supporting the international supply chain for the F35. She highlighted how her team had been involved in contributing to the task of reducing the overall cost per aircraft and the challenges ahead given the latest affordability pressures. Equally of interest was how the BFA programme agreed with the government had enabled a structured approach to investment profile for innovations brought forward by their supply chain.

Jeremy Campbell, FMS Operations Director, EMCOR Group (UK) plc

Whilst perhaps Boeing needed little introduction, Kelvin Marner was able to highlight the developments made in tripling their investment in their UK supply chain alongside how its presence and partnerships are expanding in the UK through collaborative working. He highlighted the recent commitment its partnership working with the University of Sheffield, Boeing, and the local authorities that this investment, and the exciting future in building a manufacturing facility. Seven months after announcing their intention to build a factory in South Yorkshire, the ground-breaking of Boeing Sheffield. On a broader front Kevin gave some background to Boeings overall activities in developing its supply chain relationships.

Adrian Miller, Head of Supply Chain, NATS

Jeremy Campbell took us in slightly different direction with his presentation on How EMCOR UK through their approach to facilities management was supporting BAE Systems and the Eurofighter programme. He outlined how their approach had changes to reflect a clear focus on working to build a collaborative relationship which was focused on delivering value and creating a working environment that enhanced productivity.

The final presentation of the day was given by NATS and captured the theme of growth and collaboration. Adrian Miller provided an over view of the NATS Commercially Focused Collaboration with its international partners SESAR Programme for Europe wide programme to harmonise Air Traffic Management and collaboration across national borders. A single, common operational and technology platform - one virtual operation spanning two Centres (located in Prestwick and Swanwick). The complexity of Air Traffic Management and long life span of core technologies means long term relationships, requires new technologies from geographically disparate suppliers to deliver Innovative solutions and cost benefits.